4th of July

As we have for the past few years, we headed out to Geneseo for the 4th of July.  "Windmill" grandma and grandpa usually throw a party on the 3rd when Geneseo has their fireworks, and we can watch the fireworks from their driveway, so it's ideal for people like us with little kids.  Gav had a great time playing with all his cousins and other young family members, and Declan got in on the fun too.  Like last year, Gavin loved the fireworks.  Declan was asleep last year, but this year he managed to stay up for them.  He wasn't too sure about them, and you'll see in the pics what happened as the night went on!

 

I love this pic because clearly we asked Gavin to say cheese and take a pic, and although he obliged, he wanted to make sure he didn't miss the start of the fireworks!

 Gavin can't contain his excitement over that firework!

 We have found that blankies are key for the first few firework watching experiences!

 A good artsy shot by Daddy showing Gav and grandpa watching the firework display.

 And he's out.  I can't believe Dec fell asleep during the firework display!  The boys were so tired the next morning that after waking up at their normal time (6am, sigh) they both knocked out for an almost 3 hour morning nap.  Unheard of in our house!

 Great shot of 4 of the 5 Gillespie cousins and our friend Jonah!

 Normally on the 4th we go to Pork in the Park for lunch.  We tried that this year but the line was insanely long and we quickly and wisely gave up on that and headed to the Dudas for a bbq and pool party!  Here Gav is enjoying the kid's pool (after a little convincing to get in and try it!)

 A cool shot of Gav walking under the waterfall.

 Declan and I hanging out in the kiddie pool.  Dec actually loved swimming too and he and I spent most of our time in the adult pool.  I think he currently prefers me holding him in about 3-4 feet of water because that's what we do for swim lessons.  On this day I sang Wheels on the Bus to him about 30 times (while doing the motions geared towards "swimming").

 Gav's other favorite game in the pool this day: piling toys on the water fountain!

 

 

Gavin and Declan spent the next few days with windmill grandma and grandpa while Ry and I spent some time at a casino just outside Iowa City.  As they always do, grandma and grandpa took great care of the boys and did tons of fun things with them.  They went to the Niabi Zoo, Happy Joes, played in the inflatable pool, trips to the park and outings to watch baseball games.  They are such lucky boys (and so are Ry and I to have such awesome babysitters!).